How do I tell my dad that the army is not the same?

Question

my dad won't let me go to basic next summer at 17 he says I am going to be infantry an that they won't give me the job I want an they will make me straight up infantry an so how do I tell him an my uncle it's not the same anymore my uncle was in the national guard in the late 80's an early 90's so wat do I tell them

Answer 1

Maybe your dad has your best intentions at heart. Though he is misguided. You can ask him to speak with the recruiters with you and see what they are offering you.

***make sure what ever you decide that you get it in writing. They can send you infantry. And even if your job is something else you are expected to be a fighter first. (infantry) Everyone learns basic infantry skills. Even tough the actual infantry gets more into it than others.

You can wait until you are 18 and decide for yourself. Or you can see if your dad will help you pay for college. I would choose college over the military at your age. But if you are not ready for college or that is not what you want right now, then there is nothing wrong with the military.

I was in the military so I would not discourage anyone from doing it. It was good for me and I enjoyed parts of it...and worked my butt off during other parts. It wasn't easy, and I wouldn't want to do it again but I wouldn't take anything for the time that I did. I am glad that I did.

Answer 2

Ask the recruiter to come to your house and sit down with your father.  Once you dad and uncle see the contract with the details spelled out in black and white they might change their minds... if they don't just wait until your are 18 and sign up.  Good luck and see you out in the field.

Answer 3

You can pick your job in the Army.  So unless you want to be Infantry you do not have to be.  You can do three years in the Army and then go to college on the GI Bill and save your dad a lot of money.  Or you can wait until your 18 and do whatever you want.

Answer 4

Go Air Force!!

Answer 5

Wanting to serve your country is honorable, but in light of the incoming ww3 maybe you should just listen to them. It wont be like ww2 where we were the heroes; it's gonna be a friken apocalyptic nightmare.  

Answer 6

If you have a diploma, then you can pretty much decide what you want.  The best way to put your father at ease is to have your recruiter talk to him.  Mention what jobs you're eligible for and what's open to you.

Answer 7

Dude, if you're smart, I would go to college first. Then, if you still want to join the military, you can join as an officer instead of enlisted. If school is not your thing, make sure you score high on your ASVAB so you can be offered the better jobs....good luck!

Answer 8

First up, decide what you want out of the Army. You can get a lot of hands-on experience with a wide variety of fields. http://usmilitary.about.com/od/enlistedj... has a listing of all the MOSs (jobs) in the Army. Look through it. Decide which sound interesting. Ask people with experience in them (NOT the recruiter, who will happily spout some happy-sounding BS at you) about those jobs to learn what really goes on.

Many of those jobs translate directly into civilian jobs. As a mechanic, you'll learn a whole lot about fixing trucks, helicopters, or whatever your specialty is. In the signal corps, you'll learn about electronics, computers and telecommunications. In the medical corps, you'll learn skills directly related to modern health care. Plus, if time allows for it (and that's not always the case), the Army will pay for you to go to night school for a 4-year degree. There's also a brand-new GI Bill that will pay for practically all your expenses for 8 semesters at a state college now too! Unless your parents have tons of money, the GI Bill itself is worth enlisting for in my opinion.

Don't focus on the bonuses. In the long-run, unless you're getting $30,000 and $40,000 bonuses every few years, you won't get enough out of them to make a miserable job worthwhile. There are a few jobs such as Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) and special forces who get those kinds of bonuses. There's a reason for that, and it's not because the Army is feeling extra-nice.

Look at promotion points too. http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/Pr... has a listing. 350 is the minimum (You have a heartbeat), 800 is the maximum (You're an expert shot with your rifle, have at least an associate's degree, you're a PT stud, and you've spent several months doing Army-related classes at night and on weekends). The closer those points are to 350 over a period of several months, the easier it is to get promoted to E-5 and E-6 pay grades. For reference, the first four numbers there are the scores, in this order:

E-5 Primary Zone (where most people get promoted to E-5)

E-5 Secondary Zone (where super-soldiers get promoted to E-5)

E-6 Primary Zone (where most people get promoted to E-6)

E-6 Secondary Zone (where super-soldiers get promoted to E-6)

Just as an example, 42A's (human resources and clerks) have one of the more relaxed jobs that translates well into the civilian workforce, and that frequently leaves you plenty of time to work on college while you're in the Army. They also have a promotion point requirement of 798 most of the time, so they're in no hurry to promote people. Infantry often have a requirement of 350 for E-5 and 450 for E-6. It's a hard job that requires good sergeants, but many people get out because it's so difficult with so few rewards. (By rewards, I mean things that will help you get a better job later in life, make more money, or retire earlier. Pride, service to your country, etc, etc are all nice, but they won't buy you a cup of coffee.)

Once you've picked an MOS, spoken to people familiar with the job, and checked to make sure you're comfortable with how fast you'll get promoted, then talk to the recruiter about getting into that job. The recruiter's job is to get you into a uniform as fast as he can. If your job doesn't have an opening for six months but infantry can send you to basic training next week, he's going to push you into infantry. The recruiter also wants to get you into the Army at all costs, so let him know that you're going to go in with the job you've picked, not the one he's picked for you.

While you're getting ready to join the Army, keep studying in school! Most people find the ASVAB very challenging, similar to the verbal and math parts of the SATs. If you do well on the ASVAB, more than 200 jobs are open to you in the Army. Do poorly, and you might find a half-dozen you're qualified for- usually not the nicer ones. Do very poorly, and you won't even be able to join.

If your father would like to talk to a random person who doesn't have a reason to talk you into joining up, I can get you in touch with several privates who are very happy with their decision to get into the Army. They're in kick-*** shape, they're getting a college education, they're getting valuable training for when they get out, and they're getting paid good money in the meantime.

Answer 9

Dont go to the army, go to college and make a bright future for youself